One week to ARM TechCon

ARM’s annual west coast technical conference opens next Tuesday (October 25) and they’ve made some useful tweaks to how the three-day program will be presented.

The first day is dedicated to chip design, while Wednesday and Thursday concentrate on software and systems, as well as modules and boards.

For me, with ARM, the focus always has to be on the new product and strategy announcements that the company and its partners are no doubt lining up as well as low power, with the additional facet of Intel’s declared intention to compete more aggressively on that front. That said, the chip design section also includes important looking strands that will cover verification and IP reuse.

Not everybody is going to be happy with the split, but I’d say it makes a lot of sense. Yes, the software/hardware frontier is getting less and less distinct, but in practical terms, knowing that you can get a concentrated and targeted infoblast in a single day rather than dipping in and out over three (and, perhaps more pertinently, getting your boss’ OK to keep popping out of the office) is a better reflection of the time constraints design engineers now face.

There’s also an exhibition section, tailored again for the different days. Check out the attending partners and vendors for chip design and software and systems.

We’ll also be live blogging on Tuesday.